A-Z Bus Sales plans to expand electric-powered school bus adoption in Texas through Blue Star Bus Sales.
Image: A-Z Bus Sales, Inc.
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A-Z Bus Sales, Inc., this week announced the acquisition of Blue Star Bus Sales, a Blue Bird dealership in West Texas.
"We are extremely excited about this stragetic acquisition and to welcome the Blue Star employees to the employee-owned A-Z Bus Sales family," said John Landherr, a former Texas and CEO and president of A-Z Bus Sales. "Blue Star is a great fit for us in every way, with similar core values and customer-service excellence philosophies, as well as talented employees who know the industry. I am thrilled to head back to my roots and support the thriving Texas market."
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A-Z Bus Sales already has locations in California and Hawaii. Blue Star is expected to continue serving West Texas customers under the same name, at the same location, selling Blue Bird and Micro Bird by Girardin buses with diesel, propane, CNG, and electric powertrains. A-Z plans to leverage six years of experience selling and supporting electric-powered buses.
Blue Star Bus Sales keeps its name and location in West Texas.
Image: Blue Star Bus Sales
“Blue Star, under the tremendous foresight and leadership of Wayne Dever, has spent 25 years building a reputation for excellence in West Texas. We are thrilled to combine forces with a company as strong as A-Z Bus that shares our culture and values,” added Carolyn Degenhart, CEO, and founder of Blue Star. “John Landherr and his team understand the Texas market and will allow Blue Star to continue serving the Texas student transportation market with excellence.”
Along with the transaction, the following appointments were announced:
Brandon Bluhm is now vice president of sales for Blue Star, supporting Blue Star veteran Wayne Dever, who will remain on staff as sales director.
Pete Tuckerman was hired as director of school bus sales for A-Z Bus, reporting to Brandon Bluhm.
“There is tremendous synergy between the two companies, and we fully support this transaction,” said Matt Stevenson, CEO, and president of Blue Bird Corporation. “We thank Carolyn for her 25 years of dedication as a Blue Bird dealer. A-Z Bus’s proven team and EV expertise will strongly complement the Blue Star name and reputation.”
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Roberts, 35, serves as the lead IT application engineer for vehicle electrification at First Student, where he helps shape scalable, real-world EV infrastructure to support student transportation.
Swazer, 29, serves as director of transportation at Puyallup School District, where he champions student wellbeing and inspires the next generation of industry leaders.
Dubas, 38, serves as sales manager and safety advocate at IMMI, where she advances school bus occupant protection through industry education, OEM collaboration, and proactive safety policy efforts.
Moore, 32, grew up around the school bus, leading him to the classroom and eventually inspiring high-performing teams while bringing operations in house (twice).
Baran, 38, serves as transportation supervisor at Odyssey Charter School in Delaware, where he leads daily operations with a focus on safety and professional growth.
Maybee, 36, leads transportation operations for Denver Public Schools, where he is advancing equity, efficiency, and cross-department collaboration to improve student access.
Higgins, 38, serves as director of industry engagement at TAT (Truckers Against Trafficking), where she equips school transportation professionals with the tools to recognize and report human trafficking.
